We set off on schedule with the depot completely cleaned out. For all intents and purposes, every shell, every scrap of food, and most importantly, every drop of water was taken. By the time we were done transferring the depot's supplies to our greatly increased mechanized column, it was an empty shell that wasn't even worth blowing up to deny the Orks their prize; there had been talk of setting up boobytraps to go off when someone entered the depot but on the off chance that Imperial forces that hadn't gotten our message came in before further Ork looters I'd vetoed that plan. I'd even seen some enterprising members of my makeshift militia taking prybars to the wall fixings and Aquilas, so that if further Orks found the emptied depot they wouldn't have anything to desecrate. We had enough extra vehicles now that it was hardly even cramped for the civilians, and any complaints were offset by the knowledge that the food and water rations would be that much greater now. With Jurgen and I in the front so all could see us and have their morale uplifted by the sight, we set out on our journey.
After only a few days, we reached the end of the desert, which caused a vastly significant reduction in the water requirements for the convoy as those among us that were mortal and not walking personifications of heresy were no longer sweating gallons of the stuff. I still didn't eat or drink in order to further stretch the rations, always taking my allotted rations and giving it to the person who I could sense was most in need of them. The praise, pains, and emotions of those I was leading more than sustained me. I fed them all some lines that I would not take from others what I did not need, and would eat and drink once more in thanks to the Emperor when they were all within the safety of Imperial lines. That gave morale a decided lift, but also increased their adoration for me. Truly, I was the worst kind of scum, the likes of which even Underhivers wouldn't dig out of the sump. I continued to pray to the God-Emperor for forgiveness at deceiving His flock so, and that my taint would not damn them through association with me.
We bounced from supply dump to supply dump along a weaving pattern so as to shake off any Orkish pursuers. The vox radio was fully working now, and when hooking it up to inbuilt vox communication devices(1), I'd send out my message to gather at the depot; two quick messages, first on the PDF channels and then on the Civilian Emergency Broadcast channels in case there were any civilians in hiding. Then we'd wait a day or two, hunkering down as we salvaged whatever we could from the depot we were at and waited for anyone who could hear us and make it by the stated deadline. As more and more stragglers bumbled their way into our ever-growing convoy, we added both more soldiers and weaponry but also more civvies to defend. It bogged us down further, but I couldn't just leave anyone behind as it would be a killing blow to my reputation.
The more civilians that we snatched up, the more their delusions of my sainthood coalesced as they saw me going around healing the sick and wounded, doling out food and water, and generally keeping up their morale with trite sayings and what pieces of scripture I could recall. I spent more time than our resident stand-in medicae around the wounded, using the foul powers of the Warp to heal them of their injuries and pain, than I did with the PDF officers planning out our next movements. Illric was a source of curiosity for many of them, as they'd never seen a Xenos until the Greenskins came knocking and had certainly never heard of a friendly one. He was always happy to entertain, using power packs to juggle, telling ribald jokes, or performing some acrobatic feat that a human could never hope to achieve without extensive training and augmetics. The Eldar Ranger also endeared himself to our convoy members by hunting down game once we were in the lusher areas of the continent; it was a marvel what a sliver of freshly roasted meat added to a ration pack could do to keep spirits up. Other hunters and naturalists would assist him, and our rations were becoming increasingly added to by foraged fruits and berries as well as produce from the occasional abandoned and overgrown farmer's fields. Meals were increasingly being seen as something to look forward to, though again I didn't partake as I couldn't be seen as going against my word.
From time to time, we'd have brief skirmishes with the Greenskins that we'd win handily, and at every stop we added more to our numbers. Chimeras, PDF troopers on foot, trucks full of civilians, another tank or two, and even a Basilisk self-propelled artillery gun; the last made me nostalgic for the 12th when it joined up, and I said a heartfelt prayer for their safety that night. To prevent bottlenecks, we began moving in different groups, to spread our numbers out and confuse any Greenskin response. It was during one of those times that the first fatalities came in, from a group too far from me to help. How did I know this? It was made clear to me when I tasted something similar to corpse starch(2) on my tongue, and heard the shocked cries of some of the soldiers in my mind. I quickly excused myself to 'go pray' when it happened, dicing back into my soul as I pretended to meditate. Getting them squared away so as to not scream constantly had been a trip and a half. Fortunately they'd been sent to the same area that who I HOPED had been the God-Emperor had taken Mulenz and Grear from, and it was still scoured clean of obvious taint with golden walls, floors, and ceilings with sayings I'd taken from my encounters with the supposed Immortal Emperor and Father Anthony engraved on the walls; things like 'Damnation is a choice', 'Never give in to the enemies of Man', 'The Emperor knows and cares for every man', 'Be of use to the Emperor', and things like that. To provide them further comfort, I'd focused on this area of my soul and molded it into a chapel to pray at, comfortable beds to rest upon, and tables constantly filled with humble yet satisfying fare to eat and drink. I'd warned them not to wander beyond the golden walls, and made some excuse that I was holding their souls in safekeeping. I further promised them that as soon as we were behind friendly lines, I'd make the spiritual trek to the Golden Throne to shepard them to the God-Emperor myself. I wasn't sure if I could actually travel through the Warp to the Emperor's Realm, or if I'd actually survive that journey. But the fact of the matter was that I'd made an oath to myself to not risk damning others who were rightfully supposed to go to Him on Terra, and as flawed as I was I'd always at least attempted to fulfill my oaths to the Emperor. I couldn't risk taking them to Him before we were safe behind Imperial lines (and I had had Tanna at least one more time just in case), but I would still pray for their souls. When I was informed of their deaths through the reports, I prayed openly for them, and urged others to do the same, keeping our slain in remembrance and praying that they'd reach the Golden Throne in due course.
Of course, not everybody was fooled. Namely, not the resident Xenos of our group who also happened to be a Psyker albeit not a powerful one as far as I understood. "They went to you, didn't they?" Illric asked that night, approaching me as I sat beyond the circle of our gathered vehicles thinking about the souls now within me.
"They did." I replied honestly to one of the two people I could be open with. My Eldar companion regarded me with a curious look, head cocked to the side like a nocturnal avian.
"You still prayed that they would reach the Golden Throne… why?" There was no accusation there, just open curiosity.
"Because I'm going to take them there myself." I told him firmly, every syllable radiating with my truthfulness. "I don't care if He destroys me… I'm not going to damn innocents just for being near me when they kicked the bucket."
Illric nodded, curiosity satisfied and a solemn yet encouraging look on his face. "A very noble and selfless attitude… Though I truly hope that Ynnead…. Sorry, the God-Emperor, doesn't destroy you. After all, you're the reason I'm here and free."
"Can… Can you tell me more about it?" I asked, hoping for something to distract myself from how GOOD it felt to have souls within me but taking solace at how their prayers to He Upon Terra burned me from within.
"More about what?" Illric asked in genuine befuddlement, so I elaborated.
"How your people reacted."
Illric nodded, first in understanding and then in agreement. "I suppose some joy would do you good, Slavhreenur." He gazed out into the sky, where the battle still raged between the Orks and the Navy; I took it as a good sign that we were still in the fight and that the second Orkish fleet hadn't arrived to crush us. "Within minutes of hearing of the Path and how it could save us, thousands of us were kneeling and taking the Oath. And upon the feeling that it had worked… there were celebrations, the sort of honest jubilation that had been unknown to our people since even before the Fall. For the first time in my lifetime, we as a people were truly celebrating something great. While some Craftworlds refused out of pride, with those warmongers in Biel-Tan being the most notable example, the celebrations were massive on every Craftworld whose people had knelt to the will of the Emperor. The parties were far more tame compared to what our ancestors did, and thank goodness… But we finally were able to enjoy life without the Thirst gnawing at us." He smirked again, lips and eyes angled in a roguish grin. "There will be a baby boom. Before, we were limited to the number of soul stones we could gather. Now… There is no such limit. Maybe I'll even help add to our new population."
That statement caused me to pause. "Wait, I thought that you and Sebastian Thor…"
Illric just shrugged nonchalantly. "I do enjoy physical intimacy, but I don't confine myself to physical appearance or gender. I'm open to anyone with a beautiful and powerful soul. Back to the topic on hand, about the incoming population boom. We have long been aware of the Imperium's tactics, and while we hope we won't be forming into 'Eldar Waves'(3), we do want to serve in your armies. To offer ourselves as thanks for freeing us, and our children."
"So I saved your people?" I inquired meekly, struggling to believe that my selfish actions in trying to save my own soul had not just saved a planet but also an entire species.
"We don't call you Slavhreenur for nothing." Illric quipped pointedly, eyes boring into my own to show me his seriousness. "Every day for the past ten thousand of your years, our population shrank. We didn't have enough children to make up for our losses. We were sliding towards extinction; in fact, it was believed that Ynnead would only awaken when every Eldar soul was placed into the Infinity Circuits (4)."
"How big are your Craftworlds?" I asked, now curious to know more of the Imperium's new allies. The Schola had mentioned they existed, and were more massive than the Phalanx, but like many things taught there I had found it hard to believe that anything spacefaring could be larger than the home of the Imperial Fists Chapter.
"The largest among them are the size of planets." Illric replied matter of factly, purposefully ignoring my stunned expression. "And now that they're not entirely devoted to keeping our people alive… I do believe they may be reconfigured(5)."
Oh. Oh boy. A planet-sized voidship, turned to the service of the Imperium… "So what exactly did I do?" I may have seemed dense asking Illric to repeat himself, but right then I needed to hear this, to know that my sacrifice and the potential sacrifice of Grear and Mulenz, as well as those residing within me if I couldn't get them to the Golden Throne, had meaning and purpose. Fortunately my conversational partner didn't get frustrated, merely smiling gently as he laid it all out for me.
"Saved billions, gave your Imperium loyal allies of immense knowledge and ability, and closed off one of the more annoying enemies. While the Dark Eldar haven't been tempted to join, I do believe that my kin will do their best to slow them down. This has also given your Empire…. Well, our Empire now, some access to our Webway."
That was an unfamiliar term. "What is the Webway?"
The Ranger smiled and waved his hands about demonstratively as he explained the concept to me. "Imagine Warp travel, but there are no threats. Great walls prevent daemons from entering. Labyrinths that connect worlds together, thereby providing near-instantaneous travel without any of the risks of your current form of Warp Travel."
Well, that sounded too good to be true. Of course, the downside was obvious considering what faction of the Imperium had a monopoly of guiding ships through the Warp. "Frak… the Navigator Houses are going to try to kill me." I moaned pitifully. Illric just laughed aloud.
"I don't think they'll be going anywhere anytime soon." He said, chuckling merrily. "I imagine that the Harlequins also will aid your people more, if you start using the Webway… The way of the Laughing God is strange, and seemingly self-contradicting."
While the reminder of Harlequins made me think of the bastard that had given me the Darkstone in the first place, I can admit that I was still enthralled by everything Illric had to say. Both out of awe, and out of bowel-clenching terror of what I had unleashed. If the Eldar saw me as some sort of savior, then that would mean that the High Lords would hear about me. The last thing I wanted were those dangerously influential old farts breathing down my neck(6).
"My life has become much stranger since I made the Bargain." I mused. Illric snorted at that.
"Yes, obviously. Now, are you feeling better?"
"I… I think so." I admitted, surprised to realize that it was the truth. The Eldar nodded in satisfaction, sighing as if he'd expended great effort in talking to me.
"Good. Heart-to-hearts are not my forte… Sebby was constantly sobbing about the 'Dark King' he kept seeing… whatever the frak that was(7)."
The relatively happy times ended, however, after another month or so when we finally approached the mountains. The good feeling of gentle climate could not last, or the ability to cover our flanks and move openly. Those of us in the Command Chimera gathered around a mapslate, going over the plans. Meanwhile Jurgen was using the pronoslate we had found so much earlier in the corner of that little hut back when our journey began. Illric was the last one to enter, and while he still flinched around Jurgen due to that 'black hole in the Warp' thing, he was friendly enough to him. The feeling was mutual, Jurgen having warmed up to our Eldar companion over the months of traveling and fighting together. My aide demonstrated this by doing something I'd never seen him do in all the time I'd known him; offering his precious smut to another as he held the pornoslate out to the Ranger.
"Do you want a turn?" Jurgen asked Illric politely. Despite Jurgen's nature, it seemed that Illric had gotten to know him well enough that he realized the significance of the gesture and was appropriately touched by it, offering my aide a fond smile.
"I am good, thank you." He replied graciously, before continuing with a salacious grin and a wink to the smelly Valhallan. "Though I imagine that there will be entire new types of pornographic material headed your way in the future."
"Human on Eldar stories are not an unheard of genre." Jurgen replied blandly, as if such material hadn't been the most obscene sort of contraband which before what I'd heard Illric refer to as 'The Joining' would have seen a trooper in possession of such filth shot. "Though I imagine that it will create quite an uptick in popularity(8)." Trust my faithful and dutiful aide to muse philosophically upon the future of the adult entertainment industry. Though I supposed that with friendly Eldar, such productions would save a small fortune on no longer having to buy prosthetic ears and makeup.
"If you're quite finished..." I said leadingly, raising my voice slightly to get us back on track. After all, the confines of the Chimera were such that everybody could hear the utterly riveting conversation between the two and it was distracting from the purpose of this meeting. Illric shrugged and walked away from Jurgen, who silently returned to viewing his preferred entertainment medium. I nodded respectfully to the Eldar as he joined us around the map. "Thank you. While I do appreciate you taking the time to talk to my aide, we do have important matters to discuss. Namely, how we're going to get over the mountains. For one, we'll have to consolidate into a single group. As it stands, we're spread out across a two kilometer front, but once we get to the mountains, we'll have to regroup in order to get through the passes."
"And the karkking Greenskins know that." Tayber growled in frustration, angrily rubbing at his stubbled chin. We had seen some Orks staying back from us, which was worrying due to the Orkish nature of charging headlong at anything that could give you a fight rather than avoiding one. That likely meant that the Warboss in charge had given them direct orders not to engage us yet. Odds are that he was smart enough to know that in the mountains, we'd all be grouped together, and they could take us out in one go(9). My palms itched up a storm at the thought, desperately looking for a way out of this predicament.
"And we can't just go around them… we'd run into similar problems." Kolfax admitted glumly as he traced a line going around the mountain range; such a journey would add weeks if not months more to our travel time before reaching Imperial lines, and we wouldn't have a line of supply depots to follow. Our main guide proved he thought of that last bit as well with his next statement. "If not worse for lack of resources."
Two equally bad and risky options. Thus, as the unlikely head of this cobbled together army I had to make the decision. Frak, they'd never taught us what to do in a scenario like this back in the Schola! For The Emperor's sake, I was a political officer, not an officer officer! Still, the call was mine and so I made it with reluctance and a heavy heart. "We'll have to chance the pass. If we're lucky, we can get through and break away from the forces following us." I declared, showing one of my doubts to those around me. I had to keep up morale, and put a positive spin on what they were no doubt all thinking about this fool's errand. "I know it looks nearly impossible, but the pass truly is our best bet. But look at us, at where we are! We've done the impossible so far! We can do it again!" That seemed to somewhat reassure the others even if it did nothing for myself. Silently, I added the fact that I'd rather take the choice with the one percent chance of survival over the option with no chance of survival. That's when a third option came from an unexpected source.
"If I may?" Felicia asked, racing in. As our sole Tech-priestess, she was of course welcome to join in any command meetings but usually she passed up the opportunity in favor of tending to her mechanical charges. For her to be here and speak up meant that she most likely had something vital to discuss. She began imputing some codes, and the mapslate moved to a reservoir held back by a giant hydroelectric dam nearby the main pass. "I think this may be a better chance."
"What are you proposing?" Tayber asked his sister with confusion as he stared at the seeming dead end.
"Simple. The dam doesn't expel all of the water down the stream you can see here." She stated, pointing to the smaller river that came out from under the dam. "There are passes and tunnels that send the water in different directions… And many of them go through the mountains." The eager Enginseer zoomed in on one such tunnel that looked very wide indeed. "This one, for example, comes out here." She pointed to a location a hundred kilometers from the ocean plain. "We can flank any Orks there, and make a dash for the Imperial lines. And before you ask, we can lower the dam's water level so that there isn't a risk of us being swept away like rats in a sewer." Felecia promised, voice ringing with certainty. I studied the mapslate intently, feeling the first stirrings of hope within me.
"What about the vehicles?" I asked. Not only were they carrying our supplies, but they provided me with a decent bit of protection and the ability to run away if the Orks caught up with us. Fortunately, Felecia had an answer to that concern.
"The channels are ten meters wide, bare minimum, and at least as tall by design. These waterways power at least several hydro-electric plants across the range, so there's more than enough room for the water to flow through."
"You certainly know a lot about this dam and its systems…" Tayber mused, but with a clear glimmer of pride for his sister in his eyes. He'd proven himself a good commander, applying that same sibling pride and protectiveness to his troopers while not letting sentiment get in the way of the mission. He'd more than proven himself as a leader in the months since Prosperity Wells, and I wasn't surprised to see how far he went in life (10). "Did you go there?"
Felecia shook her head in the negative, a cheery and carefree smile on her face. "No, but Maggy assures me that it'll be fine, and he's never steered me wrong before."
There it was again. 'Maggy'. In the months I'd known her, she couldn't go a single conversation without making mention of the invisible dragon that only she could see. It honestly made me worry for her sanity at times, but other than that quirk she'd proven to be a practical and talented mistress of machines, someone we'd come to rely heavily upon. "If you say so…" I said slowly, still not sure that her imaginary friend (at least, that's what I believed at the time) would be very helpful here. My paranoia said that she was just getting this from the blueprints she may have seen and remembered, and was trying to keep our spirits up. There was just one detail I wondered if she'd disregarded. "But when we're in the valley, we'll be trapped. There's only one way in and out save for those waterways, which will take time to clear."
"Then we'd have to act fast," Felicia declared steadfastly, looking me right in the eyes as she did so. "But this is our best bet. What do you say, Ciaphas?"
What did I say to an option that didn't involve racing through narrow mountain passages as the Orks encircled us or taking months more to go around the natural barrier before us which risked us running out of fuel and supplies? Frak, anyone who really, truly knew me would know that I always tried to hedge my bets. With the information I had at hand, the choice was easy, and so I placed my bet and prepared to gamble with the lives of everyone who looked to me for leadership. "We do it."
Of course I'd had no idea of what we'd find in the appropriately called 'Valley of Daemons' (which I supposed meant I'd be right at home there), or the truths that would soon be unveiled within that dam.
For most of the journey towards the valley, I was quite mercifully kept safe by the steel of the vehicles. I would be in a Chimera for the march upwards, as we went through the pass. However, even my survival instincts couldn't stop me from peering out and marveling at the scenery. Jurgen was constantly staring at the snow capped peaks with nothing short of longing, and seemed quite upset that we weren't going to go through those areas. Finally, not even a week after we had set course for the dam, we came into the Valley of Daemons and laid our eyes upon it. I'm not one to wax poetically about the works of Mankind, but it truly was majestic. Hundreds of meters tall, it looked more like a fortress wall on Cadia than a power generator and a means to hold back water rather than swarms of Traitors and Heretics. The volume of water held back must have been almost incalculable. I kept staring at it, until Felecia poked my shoulder.
"Impressive, isn't it?" She asked me cheekily, clearly enjoying my awe. I could only stupidly nod as she went into a small lecture on the subject. "It's one of the great marvels of the planet, a testament to the Omnissiah's Knowledge. We study it in seminaries. Any follower of the Omnissiah who knows their stuff could create the blueprints of the dam from memory". That helped my mood regarding how she knew what she did. So much so that I decided to make a joke.
"And what does Maggy think of it?" I asked. To my surprise, she cocked her head to the side, as if she was listening to someone.
"He says it's, and I quote, 'a pale imitation of the great ocean-forming dams built when humanity terraformed a great many worlds into paradises, but in terms of hydroelectric power on an already habitable world, a great engineering marvel'." She sighed for a moment. "Even with this, it only shows how much Knowledge we have lost since the time of the Ancients." Personally, I couldn't imagine a dam that would span entire oceans, or the need for one. Perhaps they were used to fill up oceans? I shook the thought from my head, focusing on the more pressing matter of Felecia seeming to have actual conversations with her 'imaginary friend'.
"How… how does he know that?" I asked hesitantly, not certain that I wanted the answer.
"I told you! I think he's a shard of the Omnisiah's will." Felicia replied with a pout for having to repeat herself, before her lips quirked up into a smile. "Oh, and he's laughing at that. He always does."
"At you?" I inquired, again hesitant and hoping not to offend the clearly unstable cog-girl. She just cocked her head to the side again, clearly listening before her smile turned downwards into a puzzled frown.
"...He says that I wouldn't like the joke that statement makes him think of, and probably wouldn't get it without a very thorough explanation(11)."
Well, that didn't fill me with much confidence, but since Felecia was the only Tech-priest here, I couldn't exactly try to figure out more about her… friend (and the mere idea of me of all people looking for heresy was so hypocritical that it could have powered the Astronomicon were it given the form of energy). Thus, our convoy of vehicles climbed the way up the winding road, and slowly made it to the citadel on the top of the dam. To my surprise, there was a mosaic dedicated to the Cult Mechanicus. I expected it to be crushed, but it held firm, even under our tank treads; clearly the cowboys who'd built this place knew their stuff and made it to last.
"What's the plan?" Tayber asked me, as we disembarked.
Right, the first priority was to be ready if the Orks caught up with us before we could depart. "Set up the Basilisks to aim downwards, and set up lines of defense overlooking the valley and road. They'll hold off any Greenskins until we can escape." I instructed Tayber, then turned to his sister. "Felecia?"
The tech-priestess was staring at a large set of semi-open doors. "That… I know… but how?" She muttered to herself before blinking and staring wide-eyed at me. "Huh? Oh, what did you need, Ciaphas?" She asked me curiously.
"What's the issue with the doors?" I inquired, setting her talking to herself again aside for now..
"They should be sealed shut." She explained, for the first time since I'd known her hesitant and unsure which certainly didn't do my confidence any favors. "That's so that the Orks can't profane the holy sites here." She cocked her head to the side. "That wasn't Ork battle damage?" She asked no one in particular. And what the frak did she mean, not Ork battle damage? What else could any damages to this planet be?
"Does Maggy have any ideas?" I asked, becoming increasingly concerned for Felecia and her mental state. Evidently her somewhat-imaginary friend(12)was letting her know more.
"He says… We should head deeper into those chambers… And he doesn't like the looks of this…" She admitted, frowning deeply in concern. Well no helping it, she was the expert here and I needed to be seen as handling the situation.
"Jurgen? Illric?" I called. The two snapped to my side, and I turned to Felcia. "Lead the way."
She looked to Illric. "No offense, but… I don't think that anyone here would have… Well… Known about your change of allegiance." she admitted sheepishly. "And well… you are carrying xenotech…"
Illric looked down at his armor. "Would you request that I enter naked?" He inquired, a smirk tugging at his lips and teasing invitation in his tone.
Felica started blushing up a storm. "Stop it!" She complained aloud; obviously Maggy was teasing her about Illric's remark. "Fine, you can come in, but if those inside shoot first, don't say I didn't warn you!" She cutely(13) pouted, before moving the door the rest of the way open. I entered behind Felecia, Jurgen following me, and Illric trailing a bit behind so as to not be within Jurgen's area of effect. It wasn't long before Felica started to look around in what I could only describe as worry.
"What is it?" I asked, looking around myself.
"There should be Tech-priests here! They wouldn't have evacuated this place, even if it was about to be overrun by Orks!" She exclaimed, before leading us deeper. That observation concerned me, and I voxxed Tayber to send in a squad to further investigate the facility as soon as the defenses were ready. As we entered, I felt something, and for once it wasn't just my palms tingling.
"Something is wrong here." Illric muttered, unlimbering his sniper rifle. "Do you feel it, Slavhreenur?"
"I do." I replied, pulling out my laspistol. Jurgen already had his lasgun out. "Where's the control citadel?" I asked Felecia. I had, during my stay at the Schola, learned a thing or two from some cogboys looking for converts. I had even considered joining up, before I realized they were Exploraters and that going with them would likely lead to misadventure after misadventure; though considering my current state, I really regretted moving away from that potential path(14). As we moved on however, Felecia gasped and we rushed forward to see what had startled her. There was a tech-priest who was lying sprawled on the floor in a dried pool of blood and lubricant, a precise shot going right through the chest. A bolter round, from the looks of the gutted priest with bits of augmetic organs and cybernetics exploded out of the massive crater in their reinforced chest. Precision shooting and well functioning ammunition; an Ork didn't do that.
"Who… why?" Felecia whispered, mechandrite twitching in agitation as she hovered fretfully over the body..
"Did you know them?" Jurgen asked kindly. She shook her head, eyes wide.
"No… but why would someone kill a priest here?" She whispered, more to herself than to us. "We need to find out what's going on." She took off running, and we hurriedly followed her. Then, my palms started itching up a storm, and I tackled her to the floor. Illric took notice of this, and even though he grimaced in pain, dragged Jurgen out of the way. A mere half a second later, autocannon fire lit up the hallway we had been in earlier.
"Terminate intruders. Protect the Sanctum." A servitor droned, waddling into view with an autogun and a powerfist. Well, that wasn't going to be an easy fight… Unless…
"Get back!" I ordered, concentrating. The power of the Warp flowed through me. "In the name of The God-Emperor, burn!" I shouted, pushing my power into the Warp, quickly envisioning what I wanted to happen. I really, really should've given my attempt at Warpcraft more focus, as Illric stumbled and a column of purple fire rose from around the Servitor for a brief yet intense moment before vanishing, leaving nothing but melted metal and ash.
"That'll do it." Jurgen said, nodding in approval. Illric shook his head, likely to get the feeling of Slaanesh away from himself.
"Neat trick." Felecia mused as I scrambled up off of her, offering her a hand up which she accepted. "I didn't know you could do that."
"I used it on an Ork fighter once." I replied, feeling the amulet. Huh, it wasn't too hot. "Though I may have gone a bit overboard."
"A bit excessive, yes." Illric mused, giving me a quick side-eye that made me want to groan. Frakking pun-loving Xenos that thought they were funny and clever.
"Why was there a combat servitor in the dam?" Felecia asked aloud. Just then, I heard a curse though the combead, and was reminded that we weren't the only ones in here. It seemed as though Tayber had chosen to lead the squad I'd requested personally, as it was his voice I heard over the vox.
"What the hell?"
"Tayber?" I asked commandingly, tone demanding a report.
"Sorry, sir… we just found a hidden passage… why is that there…" He rattled off his position, and we took off to link up with his squad. Sure enough, we found it; 'it' being a melted hole large enough to fit an Astartes through, where no other obvious sign of an entrance was yet there were stairs leading down into a badly-lit corridor from the forced entryway.
"It looks like someone blew a hole in the wall." Jurgen declared, staring at the… well… hole in the wall.
"A plasma blast, probably." I guessed, having seen examples of plasma pistols used at the Schola while we were familiarized with various weapons. My palms itched again, and that feeling of SOMETHING, something beyond my own instincts and paranoia, was strengthened. If there was some threat or other here, we needed to know about it. And lucky me, I was in the perfect position to lead the investigation. Joy. There was no helping it I supposed. "Well, let's see what's down there."
And so, mindful of my reputation in front of the squad of troopers, I led the way down into the mysterious passageway, completely unaware of what I'd encounter there.
Excerpt from 'March of the Crusaders(15): An Evaluation of Cain's March':
In the months since the explosion at what was once Prosperity Wells, orbital observation started seeing more and more signs of resistance on the enemy-held continent. Soon, it was clear that an entire fifth-column of resistance had formed within Orkish territory. The Imperial ships observing these movements were unable to open contact with these forces, but watched intently. More and more Orkish forces were destroyed or sabotaged behind their lines, and soon entire massive Warbands were diverted from the frontlines by order of the Warboss in order to hunt down this irritant. While the reformed Imperial army was doing significant damage to Orkish supply lines and organization, it seemed only a matter of time before they were cornered and destroyed by significantly larger forces of the green menace. When they gathered into what was then called the Valley of Daemons within the mountain range lining the continent, it seemed like the desperate yet noble journey would be ended as the Orks closed in; the Imperial personnel observing from above had no idea of what was going to happen next.
"GIT ME DOSE GITZ 'EADS FER ME BOSSPOLE!" -Translated from an Orkish bounty sign distributed by Warboss Korbul promising "tonz uv teef" for whichever Nob managed to stop the Imperial forces operating behind Orkish lines.
1: Many buildings have such a thing, and given that Felecia has… help with her work, the combined machines had quite an effective range.
2: Yes, corpse starch is made from recycled human bodies so it makes sense that human souls would 'taste' like it, just like according to Ciaphas Ork souls taste like mushrooms. Growing up in the Underhive, it was probably Ciaphas' primary source of nutrition before being taken to the Schola Progenium so he would be familiar with the taste.
3: Due to their long-standing traditions of preserving every life possible, Eldar commanders and regiments are less prone to the usual charges and human wave tactics that some Human Imperial Guard commanders employ. One of them challenged an Imperial Commander by the name of Chubirk Cheknov to a duel over his, and I quote, "Grotesque waste of human lives that would sicken us pre-Path of Humility". The resulting duel was to the death, and the Tundra Wolves became one of the first Imperial Guard units to have an Eldar in charge of a human regiment. Casualties dropped by 99.9% while showing a 15% increase in efficiency and mission completion.
4: Eldar in Soulstones are arranged to act as a guiding force for a Craftworld. They can also soul-bond themselves to The Emperor through the Path of Humility, though it took some convincing. The payoff however was well worth it; seeing a dozen Wraithknights tearing through a Tyrannid force to save ten thousand Guardsmen is a sight to behold.
5: While it would take decades, or in the cases of some of the larger ones even centuries, many Oathsworn Craftworlds have been upgraded. While there are still civilian populations on board some of them and others are primarily used as transports for Imperial armies, many that are designated as dedicated warships now boast more firepower than multiple Gloriana-class battleships and have become the most powerful ships in the Imperial Navy. To quote a voidsman after the calculations were made of how many Nova Cannons (yes, plural) could be put on one of the smaller Craftworlds, "WHY DIDN'T WE TEAM UP SOONER!?"
6: Ciaphas here should not fear much. Eldrad has become the head of the Adeptus Oathsworn, thereby putting a High Lord firmly in his corner. Additionally, it is likely that Lord High Admiral Yriel may become the next High Lord of the Imperial Navy on Terra, judging by his popularity among the admiralty. So again, he shouldn't have any worries. I've been assured as such by the Officio Assassinorum, which has passed a resolution that any action taken against Cain by their organization must have a 5/6th's approval by the High Lords to be undertaken with veto powers given to the Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes.
7: The Ordo Supernovae was, according to legend, formed to fight this 'Dark King' on the direct order of Sebastion Thor himself, but they have been annoyingly tight-lipped on what this threat really is.
8: Again, all talk about a Vindicare Assassin becoming romantically involved with a Farseer before the Path of Humility should be seen as idle gossip. I assure you that the Imperium only employs the finest soldiers in the Assassinorum. Anything Farseer Lofn says should be treated as a joke.
9: At this point, Cain's March had attracted the attention of the Warboss, who was now devoting significant forces to destroy him, which prevented an Ork beachhead on the continent the Guard was holding at the time.
10: As has been previously noted, while starting out as a Sergeant when he met Caiaphas, Alaric Tayber rose in position and popularity rapidly after his leadership role in Cain's March. By the time Perlia had recovered enough to rebuild it's forces and tithe it's first regiment to the Imperial Guard, he had been promoted to the rank of Colonel and given the honor of assembling and leading the 1st Perlian Crusaders Regiment. Under his training and leadership, which he often credited 'Saint Cain' with inspiring, the 1st Perlian Crusaders overcame all challenges sent their way and established a reputation that has many Imperial Commanders clamoring for Perlian regiments to be assigned to their forces in the current day; most impressive for one who started as an enlisted soldier.
11: AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!
12: I STILL do not know how the FRAK Felecia managed to befriend a C'Tan!
13: Still. Not. Jealous.
14: Asking about Cain's fate can and has permanently killed lesser Tzeenchian daemons. Farseers looking into the future require mind-wipes after curling into fetal positions, and refuse to elaborate further, only screaming that he is the leader of the forces of Good in the Rhana Dandra. I do not ask for more, and I do not want to know more.
15: One of the many names given to the makeshift army Caipahas assembled upon Perlia, also sometimes called Cain's Crusaders. Others include Cain's Heroes (which would become the name of a popular holodrama retelling of Cain's March- one Cain approved of because of the inclusion of Jurgen) and the Saint's Chosen. The story of defeated soldiers and ordinary citizens being brought together by a Living Saint in a crusade to take their world back from the Orkish invaders has captured the imagination of all Perlia as well as many other worlds; as such when Perlia began forming Imperial Guard regiments, they took the name 'Crusaders' for their own to honor those who participated in the March./abbr/abbr/abbr]